Don't you think that flies are the most useless and annoying insects in the world? They constantly prevent us from sleeping, and they also spread dangerous diseases because they are always in contact with dirt. There are about 5 thousand species of flies in the world, and it is difficult to even imagine the total number of individuals on our planet. Just imagine: one housefly, which lives a maximum of a month, can lay up to 2,000 eggs. And from them hatch larvae, which also grow into flying and eternally annoying creatures. In fact, we are very lucky that there are so many flies on Earth. They are useful, and far from the most obvious. You may already know that they play an important role in pollination of plants. But that's not all.
Persistent flies seem like messengers of Satan, and in the summer heat it is difficult to disagree with this
Contents
- 1 Why are flies needed in nature
- 1.1 How flies pollinate plants
- 1.2 How flies decompose waste
- 1.3 What animals eat flies
- 1.4 Flies in medicine
- 1.5 The influence of flies on technology
- 2 What diseases do flies spread
- 3 Why do flies stick to people
What are flies needed for in nature
Flies appeared on Earth approximately 200 million years ago, during the time of dinosaurs. These insects, like many others, have evolved to flexibly adapt to changing environmental conditions. Since ancient times, they have played a huge role in the nature of our planet, and without them we would clearly have a very difficult time.
How flies pollinate plants
Like bees and many other flying insects, flies play an important role in plant pollination. When they land on flowers, pollen clings to their tiny legs and spreads over long distances.
Flies are one of the main pollinating insects on Earth. Source: gastronom.ru
Some plant species are particularly dependent on flies, such as cocoa (Theobroma cacao). If it weren't for flies, we wouldn't be able to enjoy chocolate because it wouldn't exist or would be very expensive.
How Flies Decompose Waste
If it weren't for flies, our planet would be a foul-smelling graveyard of dead animals, people, and plants. Flies lay their eggs in dead bodies and decaying plants because they are rich in nutrients for their larvae.
Head of a fly under multiple magnification. Source: cuded.com
Hatched larvae secrete substances into organic waste that accelerate decay. Thus, flies help clean the environment, turning organic matter into nutritious soil. Thanks to them, there is no accumulation of waste on Earth.
What animals eat flies
Flies are also very important because they are food for many animals. For example, birds, fish, some amphibians and even other insects feed on them. If flies suddenly die out, the entire structure of nature could collapse: many animals will be left without food, die out themselves, and thus provoke the extinction of other animals.
Many species of spiders feed on flies. Source: nypost.com
Flies in Medicine
You may have heard that fly larvae have been used in medicine for a long time. When a person suffers from a particularly serious wound, fly larvae are placed in it, and their secretions stop the inflammatory processes and prevent suppuration. This approach to wound treatment is called larval therapy.
We will not show you photos of larval therapy, they may shock you. Source: rubaltic.ru
The influence of flies on technology
Flies have inspired engineers to create high-tech devices several times. For example, having studied the eyes of insects, optics specialists were able to create cameras for robots and drones with a wide viewing angle.
Read also: Should you throw away food that flies have sat on?
What diseases do flies spread
It's unpleasant to realize, but every fly carries a lot of dirt on itself. They sit on human and animal feces and even rotting corpses, and then land on our skin and even food. In this way, they can spread pathogens of dangerous diseases.
Some types of flies spread deadly diseases. Source: geoglob.ru
For example, flies can easily cause an intestinal infection. They also carry tuberculosis, diphtheria, anthrax, and so on. Dangerous types of flies live mainly in warm countries. But if you consider that the climate in Russia is getting warmer every year, they can appear here too. For protection, it would not be superfluous to install mosquito nets on windows and store all food in closed containers.
Everyone should know this: 5 diseases that people most often get in the summer
Why do flies bother people?
In the summer, flies irritate us by constantly landing on our skin. This causes severe irritation, and we run after the annoying insect with a slipper in our hand until we swat it. And it doesn't matter that they bring so much benefit. In hot weather and at night, they are real messengers of Satan!
Flies constantly pester us because our skin always has microscopic particles of sweat, fat and dead cells. For insects, all this is food, which they can eat to their heart's content. When they land on us, they start eating all this dirt and tickle us with their proboscis.
Flies have a mixed reputation, but if they fly into the house, you can swat them. Source: drive2.ru
Flies also land on us because they are looking for sources of heat. That is why they become most annoying early in the morning and late in the evening – they are cold, and they are looking for a place to warm up.
With all this, flies do not see us as a threat, because they react to the flapping of the flies in a split second. That is why they are so difficult to catch.
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You can read about why flies are so fast in our article “How dogs, cats and other animals see the world – see for yourself in the photos.”